The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
A nuclear accident anywhere is a nuclear accident everywhere. The accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima Dai-ichi have resulted in radiological and sociopolitical consequences that transcend borders and generations. The repercussions of evacuation, environmental cleanup, economic impact, and physical and psychological health effects raise questions of ethical responsibility and social, environmental, and intergenerational justice. While the “lessons learned” from these accidents have informed new regulatory standards and improved safety culture in the global nuclear industry, the question of fair legal compensation to affected parties if an accident does happen remains a contentious issue. The current international legal liability framework, which consists of several disparate conventions and protocols, falls well short—by about two orders of magnitude—of covering damages to affected parties given the expected total damage due to the accidents at Chernobyl and Fukushima. In light of several nations currently developing or expressing serious interest in nuclear energy development, it is imperative to adequately address the question of ethical responsibility and legal preparation for a potentially disastrous event with international and intergenerational consequences.
Denia Djokić
Denia Djokić is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Belfer Center’s Project on Managing the Atom. She holds a PhD and MS in nuclear engineering from the University of California, Berkeley, where she held an Office of Civilian Radioactive Waste Management graduate student fellowship. She also holds a BS in physics from Carnegie Mellon University. In the past, Djokić has conducted research on radioactive waste classification, geologic disposal of radioactive waste, and advanced nuclear fuel cycle systems analysis. Her current research explores issues in ethical responsibility in the context of severe nuclear accidents in emerging nuclear energy countries. She has also previously served as science advisor in the Ecuadorian government.
